Are you environmentally trendy?

The ever-growing emphasis on environmentalism has certainly impacted consumers of all age groups. Whether it's food, clothing or even the appliances you bring into your home, consumers have turned what once seemed daunting into a trendy, feel-good practice that all can enjoy.

Here are some trend-worthy tips on how you can be even kinder to Mother Nature:

• Up-cycling is the new recycling. We've all heard of recycling our clothes but what about up-cycling? This sustainable concept encourages consumers to convert potentially wasted material into new materials or products, extending the items' lifetimes. YouTube and Pinterest are swarming with fun and catchy ideas on how you can turn anything from drab to fab.

• Save your H2O. There are loads of tips available to consumers on how to save water around the house. One area often focused on by energy specialists is water consumption in the shower. For example, a product by Delta Faucet called H2OKinetic gives you a brand new shower experience. Within each showerhead is an internal system that controls the speed, movement and droplet size of the water, creating the feeling of more water than a standard shower flowing at the same rate. Additional details can be found at www.deltafaucet.ca.

• Just cool it. With almost half of a home's energy consumed by heating and cooling, it's often recommended to keep an eye on the thermostat. Industry experts agree that every degree below 20◦C during colder weather can shed 3-5% off your energy consumption. New technologies in thermostats to control temperatures remotely from a cell phone makes this task a cinch.

• Clean the green way. Want to skip the chemical cleaners? Why not consider using common household items to help keep your home spit-spot? Not only will cleaning with simple ingredients such as plain soap, water, baking soda, vinegar or lemon juice save you money, it can also be gentle to our planet. Check out Pinterest for a plethora of uses from these seemingly-simple ingredients.

There are countless tips about reducing our carbon footprint. These simple yet practical tips can help your family become 'environmentally trendy'.

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